1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a strip welding machine for welding cut surfaces, particularly abutting cut surfaces, at a strip beginning and a strip end of metal strips to be connected. The strip welding machine includes separately arranged cutting tools for producing the cut surfaces and a welding apparatus arranged between the cutting tools. The welding apparatus includes a welding table arranged underneath the welding apparatus. The welding table has a guide gap for a welding stop member for the respective strip ends and/or the respective strip beginning, wherein the welding stop member can be raised in the guide gap above the plane of the welding table.
2. Description of the Related Art
Strip welding machines of the above-described type are preferably used in continuously operating strip processing lines. This is because, in such strip processing lines, after a coil has traveled through, the strip end thereof and the strip beginning of a new coil must be connected to each other. In the known strip welding machines, this is preferably done by means of laser welding. Laser welding is intended to prevent the formation of projections or thickened portions in order to ensure the planeness of the metal strips even in the area of the connecting seam. However, laser welding works only if the cut surfaces are exactly positioned relative to each other. Moreover, such an exact positioning of the cut surfaces relative to each other is also required in other welding processes.